Illuminated christmas tree ornament



March 5, 1957 o. l. JOHNSON ILLUMINATED CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Filed June 30, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

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United States The present invention relates to an illuminated Christmas tree ornament.

It has long been the custom to provide Christmas trees and similar decorative devices with small electric lights, particularly colored ones. In order to enhance the ornamental effect of such lamps, many attempts have been made to provide them with reflectors and similar means whereby to cause the reflection of the light, particularly in such a way as to give the effect of varying colors. In many instances more or less opaque shields have been used over the lamps, but provided with apertures through which the light would be visible.

- Such reflectors, however, by reason of the fact that they directly reflect the full luminosity of the lamp, give too dazzling an effect, and prove to be annoying because of the many brilliant points which shine directly into the eyes of the beholder.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a Christmas tree ornament in which these overly brilliant reflections are avoided by the expedient of using a diffuser, either transparent, translucent, and either colorless or colored, slightly ahead of the reflector so as not only to soften the effect, but also greatly to enhance the visual appearance of the ornament.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of Christmas tree ornament in which part of the light bulb which furnishes the primary source of illumination extends beyond the diffuser and is hence directly visible, while a portion of the lamp is behind the diffuser but still sufliciently far in front of the reflector so that the light emitted by that portion of the bulb will be reflected against the rear of the diffuser.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the accompanying drawing and the further description hereinbelow.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation, partially sectionalized, showing one form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through line 22 thereon;

Fig. 3 is a front view, also partially in section, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section along the line 44 of Fig. 3, showing still another species of the invention;

Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, are a front view, partially sectionalized, and a cross section of still another form of the invention.

Broadly speaking the same generic idea underlies the various forms illustrated.

The main principle is the combination of a lamp socket 7 with a diffuser and a reflector. The socket may be made of suitable non-conducting material such as a phenolic resin plastic or the like, and contains molded within it the usual type of screw socket 8, the periphery of which is connected at one side to a suitable source of electric current (not shown) by means of the wire 9, while the central button 10 is connected through a corresponding wire (not shown) to the other side of the Fig. 1 along the tent ice source of current. This construction is entirely ordinary and well known.

It should be remarked, however, that the socket has a forwardly extending peripheral portion 11 which extends beyond the metallic contacting parts 8 and 10.

A suitable lamp, for instance a miniature lamp 12,- which is provided as usual with a lamp base 13, is screwed into the socket in the entirely usual manner.

By reason of the fact that the rearward portion 14 of the lamp 12 is of reduced circumference, and has only a slightly larger diameter than the base 13, the lamp when screwed into the socket will not present any electrically conducting portion beyond the socket itself. This therefore makes it possible to employ, for instance as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a metallic light reflector 15 which has a central aperture 16 which surrounds the rear portion of the lamp, and through which the lamp extends.

This reflector is provided with a number of obliquely forwardly extending teeth-like points 17. In contact with said points 17 is the diffuser 18 which may be made of' any suitable, preferably incombustible, translucent or transparent plastic material, and which may be tinted any desired color. This diffuser 18 has a central aper-- ture 19 of a size slightly smaller than the area 20 of maximum circumference of the lamp bulb 12.

In assembling this particular form of the invention the diffuser 18 is first slipped over the lamp bulb from the rear thereof, whereafter the reflector 15 is also slipped over the rear, in such a manner that the reflector points 17 will contact the rear surface of the diffuser 18 leav ing the socket 13 extending beyond the reflector 15, Whereafter the base 13 is screwed into the socket 7 until it is firmly in place. This will therefore wedge the reflector 15 on one side against the insulated portion 11 of the socket and the points 17 against the back of the diffuser 18 thus keeping the entire assembly in place.

As a result, the light emitted by the forward portion of the lamp 12 will be directly visible, while the light given off by the rearward portion of the lamp will be reflected both from the main surface of the reflector 15, but also from the inside of the points 17, thus giving a sort of illuminated star-shaped effect.

Now, therefore, if the lamp be a yellow frosted lamp,

and the diffuser be red or rose color, the effect will be that of a central yellow light with a mottled orange and red light coming through the diffuser. The diffuser being red, and having yellow light reflected through it, will give local areas which present an orange appearance..

Obviously any desired color combination may be em-.

ployed and the invention is therefore in no way limited by the particular colors used.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the reflector 21 is a disc shaped material having at least one lightreflective surface 22 which is directed forwardly, that is to say, toward the apex or point of the lamp. A concave diffuser 23 having a central aperture 24 and which may be provided with ornamental'buttons 24', preferably of a different color or at least degree of light permeability than the body of the diffuser 23, surrounds the rearward portion of the lamp at a point just above where the lamp is secured to its base 13, so that the diffuser 23 will touch the reflector 22 only at a circle around the periphery of the narrowest rearward portion of the lamp. When the lamp is therefore screwed into the socket it will hold both the diffuser 23 as well as the reflector 21 in place, leaving, however, the reflective surface 22 spaced from the rear of the diffuser 23. The method of assembly is in this case just the same as has been described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

In the form shown in Figs. 5 and6, the diffuser and whichv are a different could be pushed on to the lamp after it has been screwed by me atis of its-base='l'=3 into the socket 7.

'Flie reflect'oriT is" ofv concave shape being attached at various points=or entirely along its periphery 28 to tlie rearward' side of the difluser 25,-the main portion or tlie -refieetoii -however;beingspaced from said ditfuser as shown;

histead or being attached to'the diffuser 25' alongits entire peripheryga number of forwardly extending prongs 29riiay be either secured 'to the diffuser or may merely contact the same; provided only that a sufficient number of -tiiem'bejadliesively'or otherwise secured to the back of the diffuser 25;. re; maintair'r the reflective surface of the refiec'terzwspacedrrom the diffuser.

The is also a su'it'able aperture 30 in the reflector pbrtion-,--which preferably is o'f 'the same sizeas the aperture 2 6' in the diffuser-2 5. In order to be sure that good sustaining contact between the diffuser and the lamp is secured; there may be a number, for instance, three, of resilient protuberances 31 arranged on the interior periphery of the aperture 26 so that slight variations in lamp circumferencemay be compensated for. However, itis within contemplation of the invention to make the aperture in the reflector 27 smaller, in which case, of course the assembly'must be pushed onto the lamp from the-base portion before screwing the lamp base 13 into the socket 7.- However, if the aperture 30 in the reflector is at least the same size as the aperture 26 in the diffuser 25; then the assembly can be pushed on to the lamp'from the tip end of it. The visual effect, however, is" the same in allthree modifications.

It will at once be'come-evident that various combinations' a ndva riations of the assembly may be made provided-only that they meet with the general and principal ide'agnamely of having a reflector behind a diffuser with its' reflective surface spaced therefrom and with a lamp extending through the diffuser so as to be directly visible from in front,-while the light'from that-portion of it he la'mp which'lies behind the diffuser Will-be reflected against the back of the diffuser for the purpose ofproducing the aforementioned ornamental effect.

The reflector may be made of any suitable lightrefle'e tive material such as aluminum or other bright metalj which maybe either left inits natural color or may? beicoated' with atransparent colored lacquer such asiyellouglgreen, blue,- gold; red orthe like, depending uponithe' effect desired. It is possiblealso to make the reflector of suitably lacquered and enameled cardboard, or; it mighteven be made of a plastic material of such a nature that there will be no danger of combustion fi-dmdheheat-of the lamp.

Materials which suggest themselves for the making of tlie3preseiit=device both as to r'eflector and particularly as to the diffuser are those transparent and relatively iiifusible-plastics such as polystyrene, cellulose acetate, ethyl cellulose urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine- 4. formaldehyde resins, and in general thermosetting" pl'istics or at least non-thermosetting.plastics of. a melting; point resistant to the expected heat of the Christmas tree lights commonly in use.

While the bulbs have been illustrated as being of the frosted type it will be evident that they could be of clear glass without varying the nature of the present invention.

Applicant claims:

1. An illuminated Christmas tree ornament 'compri'sing the combination of an electric lightbulb having a frontal portion of reduced diameter, a central portion of maximum diameter, a rear portion of reduced diameter and a lamp-base at said rear portion, an electric socket into which said base projects in electrically conducting relationship, a light-reflector positioned between said socket and rear portion, and a light diffuser in front of said reflector, said diffuser having an aperture slightly smaller than the central portion of thelig'ht bulb and-engaged by the bulb to press the light-reflector against-the sock'et but to'reniain substantially out of contact withth'em'ain reflective surfaces of said reflector.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which the li ght reflector is provided with forwardly projecting prongs which bear against the rear surface of the diffuser.

3. An illuminated'Christmas tree ornament comprising: thecombination of an'electric light bulb having a frontal portion of reduced diameter, a central portion" of maximum diameter, a rear portion of reduced diameter and a lamp base at said rear portioman electric lightsocket into which said base extends in electrically conducting relationship, a light reflector positioned betweensaidsocket' and rear portion and having a central aperture" through which said reduced portion ofthe lamp extends, thus holding the reflector in place, and a light diffuserinfront of said reflector and having a central apertured portion on contact with the central portion ofthe refle'c tor and the portion of the light bulb rearwardly of itsmaximum diameter, said diffuser curving'forwardlyaway' from the reflector. so as to be substantially out of contact" with the reflectingsurfaces thereof.

4. An attachment for electric lights as used on Christ mas trees and the like comprising a light reflect'orand a translucent light-diffuser, both'provided with central'ape'r tures large enough to accommodate the base and rear: ward portion of a' light bulb, said diffuser being spacedfrom said reflector as to the light reflecting surfaces of the latter, but held in position by being located betweenthe rear portion of the bulb and the socket into which it is inserted when in use.

References Cited inthe file of thispate'nt' UNITED STATES- PATENTS- 1,504,682 Fraling Aug. 12, 1924 1,732,364 Jacobson Oct. 22, 1 929 1,881,397 Capocci Nov. 8, 193? 2,l9-1,041 Protz Feb. 20, I940 2,199,434 K0011; MaY 7,.1 9j46 2,462,562 Schwab Feb. 19 49 2,486,636 Egle NOV. L l 9 49 

